PASSENGERSFrom Cape TownMrs J PhillipsMisses (2) WilkinsonMr and Mrs KennedyCapt and Mrs Disney RoebuckMr and Mrs EltonMr and Mrs HerseeMr and Mrs de StantevilleMiss CranstonMessrsVaneThorneFoulisGreathead2 servantsFrom Algoa BayMiss RoseMr Gordonone nativeFrom SouthamptonMrs GordonMrs FrostMr and Mrs ReadMiss MeinckeMiss BochmersMessrsJ PhillipsHoskingsWeldonCarrSmithLenkinKahlPosseltGregoryBordmanSpenceDonaldfive men, four women and seven childrenReportLeft Cape Town on the 6th October, at noon, arrived in Port Elizabeth on the 8th, at 9.30 a.m., left again at 5.35 p.m., anchored off East London on the 9th at 6.30 a.m., left at 8.30 a.m. Experienced light variable winds during the voyage. USS Anglian and CSS Elizabeth Martin at anchor in Algoa Bay; RMS Basuto at East London. On the morning of the 10th passed a schooner (NHGT), and SS Adonis at anchor off Scottburgh, wishes to be reported - all's well.Escombe and Co., agents.

Saturday, February 17, 2018

Hamilton Family of Stevenston, Ayrshire: William b 1854 and Elizabeth b 1857 (my great grandparents), seated in chairs, with from top left Bill, Nancy (Agnes), Margaret, Tom, Nell, Jim in front, taken ca 1912. Not in the photo are Alexander and Joseph (my grandfather) who had gone to SA about 1910. Tom (Thomas Craig Hamilton) later joined them in SA and died aged 29 in a mining accident at Dannhauser 4 September, 1923.

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Valentine's Day, also called Saint Valentine's Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is celebrated annually on February 14. Originating as a Western Christian Feast day honoring one or two early saints named Valentinus, Valentine's Day is recognized as a significant cultural, religious, and commercial celebration of romance and romantic love in many regions around the world, although it is not a public holiday in any country.The day first became associated with romantic love within the circle of Geoffrey Chaucer in the 14th century, when the tradition of courtly love flourished. In 18th-century England, it evolved into an occasion in which lovers expressed their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionary, and sending greeting cards known as "valentines". Many of these were works of art which became more detailed especially during the sentimental Victorian era. In Europe, Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid. Since the 19th century, handwritten valentines have given way to mass-produced greeting cards.